Cycle One Summary

The story of what happened.

I chose an action from each category of events. The first action was a group project designed to introduce my students to project based learning. For this project I decided to "strand" the students amongst themselves and offer no help or assistance in getting the program completed. You can read the actual directions in the documentation below. I handed out the directions, scenario, made a few comments and turned the project over to them. I set the video camera up to tape their interactions. For most of three class periods I was in and out of the classroom only briefly to retrieve a paper or answer the phone.

The project was designed so that even the best programmer in the class could not easily accomplish the job during the time given. In the beginning there was much dissent and unrest. As the time began to close the team realized that there was no getting around the deadline and they had to find a way to get it together.

At the end of the third class, the team was required to present their solution to me, the broadcasting company executive. They worked on the code until I called time and made them start the presentation. The resulting program did more than even I thought they could achieve.

The survey results were very interesting. One student emerged as the leader, invested extra time, organized the group and helped each get their part together. As the survey shows, they were grateful for his help. During the presentation each team member individually thanked him for his guidance and help.

Action 2 - I conducted a "team building" event at my home called a "mentoring workshop". I invited my entire class to my home to watch the movie Sea Biscuit. I also invited school administrators since events like these are rather unorthodox at my school. My principal was happy to attend. We laughed, talked and watched the movie. Afterwards we discussed the role of a mentor in the lives of others. One student even said "separately, those three men were nothing, but together they were great". I picked up that theme and talked about how we find greatness in the most unexpected places. Some students shared how surprised they were to realize that one of their classmates was such a good programmer. This particular young man usually does not do his homework and has only an average grade, yet he wrote a complicated part of the group project.

The class downed 4 bags of chips and dip in 17 minutes and 5 large pizzas. That must be some kind of record somewhere!

Documentation

First Group Project Directions
Group Project Scenario
Group Project Survey
Group Project Survey Results
Group Project Code Solution
Group Project Code Flow Diagram

Mentoring Survey
Survey of students after the mentoring project

Reflection

This has been an exciting time. I see my class getting more and more involved in their learning. I can sense the expectation each day when I come in my classroom. Mrs. Griffith, have you heard from the grant, have you set a date for our field trip, were you proud of us, when are we going to build the computers........? This research thing keeps me engaged too! The days don't just pass unmarked. I too look forward to the results of our efforts.

While the group project was going on I heard from several students outside the class and one mother (who is a teacher at my school) that there was much talk at home and at the lunch table about this assignment. Not all of it was positive, but the end result proves this to be worthwhile. I felt like they discovered the strengths of each other, rather than picking at each other weaknesses. They were able to totally "buy into" the scenario and took their role playing seriously. I can see that this "buy in" is critical for the students to be able to construct their own learning. It took time for them to build trust among their group so that no one felt silly or embarrassed about role playing.

In a way, this project was like starting at the top of a curriculum design spiral. We have made one wide circle and shortly we will come back around with a more difficult program. I also think this was a very realistic scenario, which increased the students' eagerness to participate and made their work feel authentic. When asked how they felt about being led by someone other than their instructor, no one hesitated to repsond positively. Also, I thought it was interesting that when asked whether or not they would like to lead the next activity, several said being the leader would require more knowledge than they had. In many ways this shows me that they have gained much respect for those in the leadership position. I have also noticed that they treat me with more appreciation for what I am trying to help them accomplish.

Changes made to the plan as a result of the actions.

I made several siginificant changes when I was developing my timeline. Once my plan of action was set I began with the two activities described above. I must say that I was very pleased with the results and do not think that I will change my current plan of doing the following things:

• Complete a project based learning experience in association with a 5th grade class at a local elementary school.

• Ask the students to participate in a service project by building several computers and giving them to needy students.

• Have a "meet and greet" display of the students work where business partners, community members, parents and administrators will be invited.